


Blue Tundra

by DreamCatz



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Chuck is an ass, F/M, Family Feels, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 08:15:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7969213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamCatz/pseuds/DreamCatz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel O'Neil and her sibling Nick are about to be thrown into the war between Jaegers and Kaiju, but along the way maybe she can mend a fallen pilot and provide a better future for her child-like brother. [Rating may change]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to the Shatterdome

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work that I am started on with Fanfiction.net, but now moving to Archive in order to finish.

"This has got to be some form of trespassing." A young woman breathed as she crouched behind a slightly older man than herself.

The both of them had the same blonde hair, green eyes, and lean forms. The only difference between them was their height and the dyed streaks they had running through their hair. Rachel, the girl, had light blue streaks while the boy, Nick, had deep navy blue running through his hair. Their combat boots were sinking into the mud as they lingered in the shadows.

"This **is** trespassing." The boy said with a huff as he shifted a little. They'd been crouching for awhile now and his legs were cramping. "You scared of getting caught?" He asked her as he turned his head to get a good look at her. Now it was her turn to shift on her feet, but their crouching had nothing to do with it.

"A little bit." She admitted. "I mean this is Government Property. If they find us we could get into some serious trouble."

Nick laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "I just want to get a look at the Jaegers up close and then I'm gone. If you don't want to come with me sister you do not have to." His words had very little effect on her. Rachel was not about to let her brother sneak into a Shatterdome by himself. They were siblings and that meant that if he was going to be caught then so was she.

"No." She shook off his hand and steeled herself. "I want to see them as well." She assured him. "I just want us to be careful. A life behind bars is not something I want as my future, or yours."

Nick nodded his head before turning around and slinking off into the shadows. Rachel lingered behind for a moment as she thought about what they were doing. They weren't going to harm anything, but no doubt if they were caught by a pilot they would be labeled with the title "crazy fan" or something along those lines. The mere thought made Rachel want to puke, but instead she stowed off in the shadows behind her brother.

They were careful with their timing. The lights and guards seemed to run on a strict time table and because of that they were easily predicted. Nick was the first to slip through the wall of the Shatterdome, but before Rachel could follow a light flashed right in front of her. Panicking she threw herself back in the shadows and laid down flat on her stomach. The grasses and bushes around her scrapped her face and made her want to itch, but it covered her and she knew she had to be silent.

Footfalls and voices followed the light, but what made Rachel's blood run cold was the panting. They had a dog! Rachel pressed herself even further into the ground as she sent up a silent prayer that the animal would not catch her sent. As the footfalls came dangerously close the young girl recognized the voices. The men were Hurc and Chuck Hansen, Australian Pilots of the Jaeger Striker Eureka, and they were now at a standstill in front of her. Their tones were obviously showing that they were in some kind of argument.

The sniffing was right in front of her now. The dog had found her! Holding a breath Rachel watched the head of a pit-bull appear in front of her. Her bright green eyes stared deep into his brown ones. The dog cocked its head to the side in question before moving a little closer and letting out a small whine. The men in front of her stopped their conversation and turned to their dog.

"What are you doing Max?" Hurc asked his dog. "Found something that caught your interest?" Hurc was now on one knee and Rachel was sure her heart was about to stop. If he got any closer the shadows would not be able to hide her from him. The dog must have smelled her fear because he backed away from her slowly, giving her space.

"He probably smelled a squirrel or something... lets get back to the mess hall. I don't want cold food, again." Chuck was agitated and it was showing. Rachel recalled most of the interviews he'd been forced to have with reporters. That man had a sharp tongue and even sharper words. Herc grunted, stood up, and followed his son down the path they'd been walking. This time they didn't speak.

"Oh god." Rachel breathed out as she let her tense body relax a fraction. Her entire front was cold and caked with dirt now, but she brushed that to be back of her mind because she had to find her brother. Getting to a crouch she looked around to make sure it was clear before jumping through the hole in the wall of the Shatterdome. Her brother was white faced as he saw her approaching.

"Are you ok? Your face..." He reached out to touch the small cuts that littered her face but she swatted his hand away.

"A little cold but I'm fine. Let's go see those stupid robots so we can get the hell outta here. That was too close of a call Nick." She told him as she chewed slowly on her bottom lip. When she mentioned the Jaegers her brother perked up and took off again.

It felt like ages before they'd made it to the Hangers but Rachel knew it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. Everyone seemed to be eating because there were no mechanics or techies running around. The silence was haunting and with the Jaegers staring down at them it only added to the effect. Nick was staring up at each of them in child-like wonder.

"Imagine what it must be like to control one of these things..." He breathed out. All four legendary Jaegers stood before them: America's **Gipsy Danger** , Russia's **Cherno Alpha** , China's **Crimson Typhoon** , and Australia's **Striker Eureka**. However there was a last hanger holding another Jaeger. This one was much like a cross between Gypsy and Striker because it had the design of the American model though it was lighter and stood as tall as the Australian model.

"Nick!" Rachel called her brother over and together they examined the huge mech. It was definitely new, but where did it come from and who were the pilots? They'd never seen this bot before and suddenly both of them felt like they had stumbled across some hush-hush secret.

"What do you think they call it?" Nick asked her as he edged closer. The paint on it was different shades of blue starting from the deep, almost black, blue at the feet and curling up the machine to a fine light blue around the Conn-Pod. All in all the machine was a beauty with its cold-killer look.

"We call her 'Blue Tundra'." Both of the siblings spun around to see none other than Stacker Pentecost, Marshall of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. He was staring at them intently with his hands folded behind his back. His posture screamed danger and Rachel edged closer to her brother, who in turn wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Now the real question is what do we call you two." He told them as he took a step forward.

"We were just-" Nick tried to explain but the Marshall cut him off with a hand.

"Who are you?" Pentecost asked sharply. His tone wasn't necessarily cold, but it was a no-nonsense tone. Nick, in shock, was left gaping like a fish out of water.

"I'm Rachel O'Neil, and this is my older brother Nick." The girl told him with as much as a voice as she had left. Stacker turned his attention from the boy to the girl, aware that she would be the one to give him the most information.

"What are you doing here?" This question Rachel had to think about for a moment.

"We wanted to see the Jaegers up close. Since the program closed down we figured it would only be a matter of time till they completely disappeared." Her honesty shocked her and her brother, who let his arm fall off his shoulders.

Pentecost hummed lowly as he walked forward. Both the sibling tensed as he got closer. What was he going to do? Was he going to make them disappear? Were they going to be thrown in jail? He stopped before them and eyed them both calculatingly. It seemed he was trying to decide something in his head, and clearly it was giving him some difficulty. Finally he let out a slow breath through his nose and gestured for them to follow him.

"You must be freezing." He eyed Rachel's dirt covered clothes and she couldn't help but nod her head. She would do almost anything for warmer clothes. "I don't know how you two got into this Shatterdome, but that doesn't matter right now. Depending on how you answer some of my questions will depend on if I'll turn you in or not. Keep close." He told them as they entered the Mess Hall. The clatter of dishes and talking stopped when they came into view. All eyes were on them as they walked down the line of tables.

"Mako." He called. A girl with black and blue hair jumped up from beside Raleigh Becket and walked over to them. "Find some clothes for Ms. O'Neil here and meet us in the Training Room." She shot a quizzical look to the man but did as she was told. Now a stream of mutters and whispers started up and all the pilots seemed to be shifting in their seats.

"Eat these and follow me." He told them as he tossed them both a muffin. Rachel had banana and Nick got stuck with blueberry and after a mental conversation they switched because her brother despised blueberry. Eating while walking Rachel pondered why they were going to the Training Room. What was the Training Room? And what the hell were they going to do there?

Mako handed her some form fitting clothes and Rachel was excused to go change. When she came back her brother was also wearing the same black fabric she was. A wooded stick in his hands. He was in conversation with the Marshall and his eyes were alight with a fire she'd only seen him have on few occasions. This wasn't going to end well for her.

"What are we doing here?" She interrupted their conversation with her question. Pentecost was about to respond but her brother was almost bouncing on the balls of his heels.

"He wants to see if we're drift compatible with each other Rachel. They don't have a team for Blue Tundra yet." He told her as he twirled the stick in his hands. Rachel turned to stare at Pentecost.

"You can't be serious." She said with disbelief in her voice. Nick's face fell as he knew what was coming. Turning his back he walked away to warm up on the mat. "Not to down myself or my brother but I think you are making a mistake Marshall. We are fighters, no doubt about that, I'm sure my brother has told you many of the stories of our past. However we are not soldiers. I've never... he has never been placed in a situation like this." Rachel was now standing right in front of the older man as she gestured wildly in the direction of her older brother.

Pentecost seemed to weigh her words before he placed a wooden stick in her hands as well.

"I wouldn't risk putting people in a Jaeger unless I thought they had the mentality to handle it. You and your brother single handedly broke into a Shatterdome, made it into the hanger, and convinced me not to put you in jail for the rest of your lives. The scarring on you knuckles proves that you are a fighter, and yes, your brother has told me many accounts of your battles. What stuck me though is that you do not seem like a person who would enjoy fighting, so why have you?" He asked her. Rachel shifted on her feet.

"Because he is my brother and I have to protect him. Nick is an idiot sometimes and his mouth doesn't know when to shut up. Sometimes it is his heart that gets him into trouble but no matter the reason... I won't ever let him face anything alone. Me and him... we are all each other have now." Rachel's voice dropped low as she glance over to her brother. "Why choose us, sir?" She asked him.

"Because I knew." His answer confused her and she sent him a glance. "I knew that you would do anything for him. That bond is extremely strong and the stronger a connection the better the Jaeger preforms." He explained, letting his hands clasp behind his back. "We need a good team to pilot Blue Tundra. And I think that you two showing up beneath her is a sign. Normally I don't believe in signs, but with times like these I have to take it into consideration that this is an opportunity for me to take." His eyes got distant for a moment as he got lost in his own thoughts. "And I'd like to add that I believe you are wrong. A fighter fights because they can. A soldier fights because they are able and have the will to protect. Now report to the mat so we can test your connection."

With those words Rachel walked onto the mat and faced her brother. Mako explained what they were to do and slowly the siblings took note that all of the pilots had shown up to watch the both of them. Nick seemed to be on cloud nine while Rachel was wishing the Earth would open up and swallow her whole.

"Do you understand?" Mako asked them.

"Understood." They said in unison. Nick smiled while Rachel winced.

Then they began. Nick's blows were parried and blocked swiftly by Rachel. She knew her brother's moves better than he did, but at the same time she couldn't get a hit on him. All her blows were knocked away with enough force to push her backwards. She was careful not to be pushed off the mat by ducking and rolling away at times. Other than the knocking of the wooden sticks, the scribbling of the pen on paper from Mako, and the pants coming from the fighters, the room was silent.

Finally Pentecost interrupted them by blowing a whistle. "Enough. We've seen enough." The mumbling that had started up died quickly as they waited for Pentecost to continue speaking. "You two are drift compatible with each other, however if one of you choose not to become the pilot for Blue Tundra then we must search for another co-pilot. So speak now if you have any objections." His eyes landed on Rachel, almost piercing her with their gaze.

"I'm in." Nick's eyes were brighter than they'd even been. His blonde hair was tossed from the fight and a flush on his cheeks. He looked so happy, happier than he'd been in a long time. Rachel sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm the storm in her mind. She was the realistic one. She knew the dangers of being a soldier in this war, but Pentecost trusted them and Rachel was not about to let someone else in her brother's mind.

"I'm in too." She said softly as she gave her wooden stick off the Mako. Nick flashed her a toothy smile. "When do we start training?" She asked the Marshall.

"Now." And with that he lead them away from the other pilots who'd started talking among each other.

* * *

Rachel and Nick had been in the trainers Conn-Pod for awhile now. Their training was beginning to drain them to the point where Nick was starting to doze off after the sequences.

All the practices had them ducking, punching, firing, jumping, and slamming into Kaijus. Not to mention the Kaijus slamming into _them_. Even though it was only practice, it felt as if they were _actually_ fighting the horrid beasts. Nick and Rachel's bodies were screaming bloody murder as their muscles and bones were tried time and time again, practice run after every practice run. A voice broke the silence of their panting telling them to report to the Control Room.

"Nick." Rachel punched him in the arm. "Wake up. We need to go talk to Pentecost in the Control Room." She was already unstrapped from her controls, but Nick was still halfway strapped in. He'd taken the left side while Rachel had taken the right. Their first drift had gone flawlessly, but there were a few things Rachel had seen that she hadn't wanted to. Seems like the Marshall had been right when he said they had a strong bond.

"Help me." Nick said as he fiddled with the arm piece. Rolling her eyes Rachel quickly helped him free before supporting him on one of her shoulders. Together they walked down the hallways and the girl was careful to read the maps. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in the Shatterdome and look like a fool. After a ten minute walk they finally entered the Control Room. All the teams were there. All of them were staring as well.

Rachel let go of Nick once he was seated. His energy was almost completely gone and from all the events that had happened today she couldn't blame him.

"Your sessions show that you are ready to be deployed, however in the event that you are deployed you will stick close to Gypsy Danger on the defense. We want to make completely sure that you are ready for an attack before we allow you to engage in one. I'm sure you know about the teams but it is about time that you are all introduced properly seeing as you will all be working side by side." With that Pentecost stepped to the Russians first. Nick seemed to be more alert seeing as he picked his head up off his sisters arm.

"This is Sasha Kaidanovsky and Aleksis Kaidanovsky. They are the pilots of Cherno Alpha, the Russian Jaeger." Pentecost allowed Rachel to shake both of their hands while Nick only gave a respected nod. He'd tried to get up, but Rachel had pushed him back down and gave him one of the sharpest of her glares.

"Nice to meet the both of you. It will be nice to have another Jaeger out in the field." Aleksis told them, his wife nodded her agreement.

"Moving on. This here is Cheung, Hu, Jin Wei. They are the triplets that pilots Crimson Typhoon, the China Jaeger." Each boy introduced themselves and shook hands with Rachel. She told them that she would have to take time to learn each of them personally.

"I'm sorry ahead of time if I confuse your names. I'm bad at remembering." She confessed. The triplets merely gave her a gentle smile in return, showing that there would be no harm if she did mess it up. Nick again gave them respected nods.

"I'm sure you have heard of Raleigh Becket. He is the current and former pilot of Gypsy Danger, the American Jaeger. His newest co-pilot is Mako Mori." The two of them were close enough to Nick that he could shake their hands. Rachel did as well and she looked over the male pilot. She'd heard stories about him. How he single piloted Gypsy back to shore after his brother had been killed. Her heart went out to him. Rachel couldn't think of a world where her brother didn't exist.

"Lastly Herc and Chuck Hansen. They are the pilots of Striker Eureka, the Australian Jaeger." Both the men nodded their heads. But only Herc extended his hand to shake with Rachel.

"You must be what Max got so worked up about out there on the path." He said knowingly, and for a brief moment Rachel wondered if Herc had seen her in the shadows when he'd taken a knee. The girl brushed it off quickly because if Herc had seen her he would have said something... right?

"Yeah." Rachel admitted as she glanced at the snoozing dog at her brother's feet. Nick was silently scratching the dog behind the ears. He'd always wanted a dog but with the siblings not having a home they never got the chance to adopt one.

There were a few more words exchanged before the pilots settled down. Everyone took a seat except for Rachel, Pentecost, and Herc who were now facing three other men. The first to speak was someone she'd recognized almost instantly. He had dark brunette hair that could have been mistaken for black and his eyes were a deep warm brown... this was the man who would be talking to them from within their Conn-Pod.

"Hello, my name is Tendo Choi." His voice was light, as if there was nothing wrong with him, but the slightly dark shades under his eyes and the coffee mug in his hand gave him away. This man hadn't slept in quite some time and it didn't look like he would be getting any sleep soon. "After this group meeting I'll need to speak with the two of you about Tundra. You'll need to know all her different weapons and how she operates." He took a sip of his coffee before glancing to one of the men to his right. "Your turn." He muttered as he took a step back.

"Oh." Said the man beside him. The man had brown hair, green eyes, and lots of tattoos. His white long sleeved shirt was rolled up to his elbows which exposed the ink that tattered his arms. Nick and Rachel picked out that different Kaiju before he continued. "My name is Newton Geiszler, but some prefer to call me Newt. I don't mind since it is much easier to respond to. I work with my... partner... in the K-Science Lab here at the Shatterdome. If you have any questions about Kaiju don't hesitate to ask." His smiled that followed unsettled Rachel. She didn't like how 'into' he was about the monsters, or how hyper he was.

"My name is Hermann Gottlieb. I am, unfortunately, the partner of this one here." Hermann sent a glare sideways at Newt and it looked like a brawl was about to start between them. As much as Rachel would have loved to see the two duke it out this was not the time nor place for that. So she opted to interject.

"Nice to meet the both of you. A pleasure it will be to work beside you." Her flattery worked wonders as the two men bowed their heads in appreciation. It seemed like they were not used to being noticed, but that was to be granted. After all, the real 'heroes' were the Jaeger pilots.

"Now that everyone is introduced and acquainted we can move on to other things. Tendo, if you would." Pentecost moved so that the Chinese-Peruvian man could stand before the pilots.

"Blue Tundra is the newest and last Jaeger that has been added to the war against the Kaijus." The room lights dimmed around them as a digital screen appeared before them. "Before its creation the Jaeger Striker Eureka was the only Mark V. Now there are two." Herc and Chuck leaned forward at this. Now there was a mech on the same scale as them. "Tundra has the standard Plasma Cannon that most Jaegars do. It also has a two blades that can be extended over the hands for close combat. The chest holds 4 missiles for long distance. Over all the Jaeger is a lighter build than Striker, allowing you to move quicker." While he was speaking Tendo was flipping through the scans, pointing out each object with ease and confidence.

"Your reactor is the only thing that differs from Striker." He finished by letting the scans fade to show Blue Tundra.

"We have a nuclear?" Rachel asked. Her voice seemed to shake some of the pilots from their thoughts. Tendo was shifting on his feet nervously.

"Yes. After the creation of Striker the United Kingdom did not was to shell out any more big bucks. The digital core that resides in Striker costed a small fortune to them so the Kingdom decided they would place a nuclear in their last creation. But be assured the the Conn-Pod is sealed off from the reactor. There is no way that you or your brother will be affected from it's radiation." Tendo seemed sure that he knew what he was talking about, so Rachel let the subject drop.

Nick let out a long yawn and Rachel smiled fondly at him.

"I think we've all had quite a day. Tomorrow we will continue. Mako, will you show the siblings to their respective rooms?" Pentecost asked her, though they knew he was silently telling her to. She nodded her head, seemingly unaffected by the request. "Do you two need help retrieving your things? You will be living in the Shatterdome from this point on." Pentecost was speaking directly to Rachel seeing as Nick was slumped forward in the chair.

"No. We having everything." Rachel didn't meet his eyes when she said this. She didn't look at anyone as she turned to the door.

"No clothes? No pictures? No belongings at all? What did you have before you showed up here O'Neil?" He asked, pressing into a matter that he was not welcome in.

"We didn't have anything, Sir." Her control slipped as she snapped the remark. It was a personal issue to her, a rather touche one and everyone seemed to pick up on this. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to take care of my brother." She said, her voice returning to her as if nothing had happened.

Throwing his arm over her shoulder she hoisted him out of the chair with a little bit of effort. He was heavy and she was tired. For a moment she lost her footing and almost fell, but another person grabbed her brother from her and allowed her to steady herself. Raleigh Becket was now holding a sleeping Nick and looking at Rachel in slight worry. Mako, before anyone could say anything ushered the three of them out of the Control Room and down the hall.

"Thank you. I'm sorry you had to be bothered, but I can take him now if you want." Rachel told the older pilot as she extended her arms to retrieve her brother.

"Don't strain yourself. I've got him. Just worry about keeping yourself on your feet." The blond haired man flashed her a smile that made her insides flutter. The young girl could admit that the Becket brother was quite handsome. He'd always been, and the dark look that laid behind his eyes was something Rachel wished she could erase. Ever since the loss of his brother, his co-pilot, he'd had that look. _It might never go away, but hopefully it will fade in time as he is mended._ The thought surprised Rachel and she glanced over at Mako, who was leading them down the hall. She was good for him, she would help him, and he would help her.

Finally they made it to Nick's room and Mako unlocked the door. Raleigh, with the help of Rachel, removed his gear until he was down to boxers and a wife beater. They laid him on the bed and Rachel tucked him in silently. Mako placed a small map and the key to his room on the nightstand beside him. The map would help him get to the mess the next morning. Stepping out of the room and closing it behind her Rachel walked down the hall further with the two pilots.

"This is your room." Mako said pressing the key into Rachel's hand. "Beside you is Raleigh and across from him, myself. If you need anything just come and knock." Mako gave the girl a light squeeze on her shoulder before leaving them. Rachel turned and opened her door. Stepping inside her room and left it open for the other to enter, which he did after a moment of hesitation.

"We share a bathroom together, but both sides lock from the inside so remember to lock both doors. It'll prevent us from walking in on each other." The man told her as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And what Mako said. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." He was standing next to the door as he watched her start to remove her gear.

"Can I ask you something right now?" Rachel inquired as she unbuckled the plating around her arms.

"Of course."

"Were you scared? I mean when you first joined this program. Did you ever feel out of place?" Rachel was trying to reach behind her to unclasp her back, but her fingers kept slipping and she couldn't get a hold on the buckle. The sound a feet shuffling were followed by a pair of warm hands batting her's away. Rachel gave up and let the other assist her in getting the damn plating off.

"I was. My brother was always the one who lead. But after awhile I got the hang of it, of the fame, the glory, the rush. After awhile it all comes natural and you just... adapt to it." Her told her honestly as the breast plating fell away. Her white tank beneath now visible. Rachel hummed as she removed the rest of the plating. Picking it up she placed it carefully in the small closet she had.

"Thank you." She told him softly. Instead of shaking his hand and sending him off she enveloped him into a hug. While she was so close she moved her mouth to press into his shoulder, the one that had been injured many years ago. The blonde tensed beneath her hands.

"You know how you told me if I ever needed anything to call on you? Same with me. Ever need to talk and I'll be here." With that she let him go and walked him to her door. He flashed her one of his smiles, but a darkness hung behind it and then he moved into his own room. The door closed with a echoing ring.

Closing her own door Rachel locked it and flicked the lights off before crawling into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was gone.


	2. Chatter, Chatter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raleigh and Rachel talk about scars and their past. Nick seems to be forming a crush. Pentecost is being, well Pentecost. And everyone remembers Raleigh's turtle with fondness.

Rachel wasn't aware of how long she'd been knocked out, but when she awoke she felt better than she had in ages. Sleeping in a proper bed, no matter how small and springy it was, did her some good after spending days sleeping in abandoned buildings that were littered around Hong Kong.

Pushing herself into a sitting position she extended her arms and stretched. A yawn followed shortly after and before she knew it she was swinging her legs over the foot of her bed. Moving to the bathroom door she wiggled the door knob and was relieved to find it unlocked, however even then she was mindful of what Raleigh had said the other day, and opened the door slowly. The mirror was fogged and the titled floor was wet indicating that the shower had recently been used.

Shuffling on the other side of the opposing door caught her attention and she looked up to find the door opening. Raleigh was dressed in a pair of plain grey cargo pants and that was it. Before Rachel could stop herself she found her eyes glue to the white scars that littered his left side. They were shockingly similar to the design of the Conn-Pod gear they had to wear.

"They're burns from when I originally piloted Gypsy back to shore. The suit short circuited." He explained.

Rachel, feeling ashamed for being caught staring, dropped her gaze and moved to turn on the water in the sink. Splashing her face a couple of times she allowed herself a moment to become more aware of the world around her. The other pilot was standing off behind her and she moved so that he could have his turn at the sink. As he started to bush his teeth the younger girl looked around the bathroom. It was nice in Rachel's eyes. A working toilet, shower, and sink were royalties to her, but it seemed like Raleigh hated it. Maybe it was too pristine for him.

Once the man had finished brushing his teeth he moved to walk out but stopped right before.

"I saved you some hot water and the towels are in that cabinet right there under the sink. Afraid all you have to wash with is men's shampoo, but I'll see what I can do to get you something better." Then, before Rachel could thank him, he closed his door and was gone.

A moment passed. Then two. Finally Rachel moved and locked the door so that she wouldn't be interrupted. Turning on the shower she adjusted the temperature before stripping from her clothes and stepping under the spray. A low, pleasant hum emitted from her as she allowed the water to rid her of lingering dirt and sweat. She reached for the shampoo and examined the bottle, it definitely smelled like a guy's shampoo but the girl chose to ignore that as she squirted some of the clear gel into her hand.

After a few more moments of rinsing her hair and body Rachel shut off the water and pulled back the curtain. The heat from the water was fading quickly and the girl snatched a towel from under the sink to cover herself. She unlocked the door leading to Raleigh's room before she exited the bathroom into her respective room. However she didn't make it far before something dawned on her.

_I don't have any clean clothes..._

A curse left her mouth and she looked around the empty room, hoping that clothes would just appear. Chewing on her lip she sat down on her bed and tried to think of her next move. Then a slip of paper on the ground caught her eye. It was right in front of her door and had nice cursive writing on it. Trotting over the the paper Rachel noticed the mail flap that was part of her door. That must have been how it got in. Unfolding the paper she read:

_**D** ear **R** achel,_

_I was informed that no one had taken the time to deliver you some clothes. There is a box outside your door containing three pairs of clothing, an alarm clock, and a watch. I'll see you in the Mess Hall._

_- **M** ako **M** ori._

Rachel carefully folded the paper back up before she flipped open the mail slot and took a wary look around the hall. It looked to be deserted so the young pilot quickly unfasten the lock on her door and scooped the box up with one arm. Shutting her door she re-locked it and dumped the contents of the box on her bed.

There were three plain shirts (blue, green, and orange), a pair of cargo pants, some sweats, and blue jeans which were followed by a fresh pair of black combat boots. Socks, underwear, and a few pairs of training bras fell out as well. Rachel quickly stowed the garments away to her chest of drawers and set up her alarm clock. Then she picked out her clothes for the day: the blue tee and her cargo pants.

After she dressed and hooked on her wristwatch she brushed her teeth, combed out her hair, applied some of Raleigh's deodorant (since she didn't have her own), and laced up her shoes before stepping out of her room. Pushing her key into one of her many pockets she made her way through the halls to the Mess area. Before she entered she could hear the chattering of people and plates clattering together. A glance at her watch told her it was only just turning six.

"I don't think I've ever been this awake at such an hour." She mumbled to herself.

"You'll get used to it." Someone behind her said. The blonde girl swiveled her gaze around to find Herc approaching with Max at his heels.

"Good morning Mr. Hansen." Rachel greeted him politely. The older shook his head as they descended the stairs together.

"Just call me Herc. Everyone else does and Mr. Hansen makes me feel old." He informed her. The girl wanted to point out that he was indeed an old man, but she held her tongue in respect. Even though he was old enough to be her father he held an energy to him that defied his age.

"Sure thing." She told him as she followed him around.

He grabbed a plate and handed her one before beginning to fill it up with steaming food. Rachel looked over the meals with glazed eyes. She didn't know what to eat, or if she would be able to stomach it at all. When her and Nick had been living on the streets they either stole their food or lived off the land. None of it was processed and most of what they got went to her brother, who needed it more than she had at the time. She recalled the times that she'd given him potions of her meal after he'd finished his off because of his noisy stomach. At the time she would joke around saying that there was a beast in his stomach complaining.

Herc seemed to noticed her stillness and nudged her with his elbow, effectively breaking her from her thoughts. She let her eyes come back into focus as she turned to the elder.

"You ok there, girly?" He asked, his tone laced with worry. The youngster nodded her head, though Herc knew better than to believe it.

"Just don't know what to eat." She tried to bush off his worried gaze as she put some pancakes on her plate. They were made from batter and shouldn't upset her stomach too much. Grabbing an apple as well she trotted off to avoid any questions that Herc might have.

The girl noticed her brother chatting away with the male Russian pilot, Aleksis. Said Russian seemed to explaining something to her brother because he was using his hands and making wild gestures the the blonde didn't understand. The man's wife was sitting beside him, hiding a smile behind her hand as she watched her husband unsuccessfully try to convey something.

Smiling herself Rachel took a seat at an unoccupied table that was far enough from the others where she wouldn't be disturbed, but she'd be able to keep an eye on most of the Mess. The female O'Neil was more observant than most and she preferred it that way. It was what kept the siblings safe and (for the most part) out of danger. Picking up one of her pancakes she tore it into bits and slowly ate it. Mechanics and technicians were scurrying from here to there, picking up bits of food before rushing to their posts. It seemed the only few that really bothered to sit down and enjoy their meals were the pilots.

For awhile Rachel stayed alone, slowly eating her pancakes and nibbling on her apple as she watched how people interacted with each other. Chuck had shown up some time later after his father and joined him at the table, feeding his dog some left over burnt bacon. The dog seemed to enjoy the food despite it being slightly overcooked. Mako and Raleigh showed up side by side talking to each other about the improvements on Gypsy, though it seemed Mako was more spirited about it than her male counterpart. That made Rachel smile into her apple.

Around six forty five the mess was starting to empty. The Russian couple excused themselves as they left to head back to their room and Rachel watched as Nick scurried off to go bother some female mechanic. The sister had half a mind to stop him, but instead of being a flirt he was asking her about the different parts of a Jaeger and how the operated. The mechanic, clearly wanted to prove her knowledge of the machines, lead him off as they discussed the 'basics of a Jaeger'.

She was so busy watching the pair leave that she failed to noticed Mako leave as well. Raleigh stirred her from her thoughts as he took a seat directly across from her.

"You're not much of a social person are you?" He asked her, snagging a piece of her pancakes. She glared at him playfully as she shielded what was left of her cold breakfast.

"I'm merely an observant person." She countered as she took another bite from her almost finished apple. The man before her smiled as he chewed thoughtfully on his piece of stolen food.

"I've wanted to ask you this since I saw you, but why do you have blue in your hair?" He gestured at a lock of colored hair that was closest to her face. Rachel picked at the strand and twirled it in her hand, thinking back fondly on the memory.

"Me and my brother were passing through a part of Hong Kong when we noticed a forgotten hair dying kit on the side of the street. It still had everything in it, and we were so tired of waking up to the same thing everyday, so when we got back to our shelter for the night I opened it up and did our hair. He wanted it to be as dark as possible while I wanted a more lighter tone. The next morning when we walked out onto the street we got some attention for once in our lives. The kids with the blue hair and green eyes." Rachel let the strand drop from her fingers.

"What do you mean by 'shelter for the night'?" Rachel cursed mentally as he asked that question. She shouldn't have said that.

"Nothing." She quickly answered.

"Don't you have any parents, Rachel? I place to live other than here?" His questions strummed something inside her that made her want to snap at him. To tell him that it wasn't any part of his god damn business. Had it been any other person she probably would have, but she held it back.

"If my parents are still alive I wouldn't know. Me and Nick never knew them. We arrived in Hong Kong a few years ago when we stowed away on an American cruise boat." Her voice was void of any emotion as she spat out information. Her eyes, which were much like an open book, were cast downward so that the other pilot wouldn't be able to see her disgust. "What about you?" She asked, hoping to take the spotlight off of her.

Raleigh's shoulders tensed as the inquiry left her mouth. He suddenly found a piece of dirt on the table very interesting and he started to knock it around.

"No I don't have any family left. My dad might be somewhere out there, but I haven't seen him since before he left me and Yancy behind. Before coming out of retirement I was working on the wall and they paid for my living. Now the Shatterdome is my home." He looked around the mess, taking in the forms of people he'd seen day in and day out. "Pentecost came to me after the Wall in Sydney was destroyed. Told me I could die there or die in a Jaegar... So I made my choice and he flew me here to Hong Kong." As he re-accounted his story Rachel thought about the Wall of Life that was being built on every coastline.

"How does the Government think those walls will really work? They witnessed one of those monsters tear it down within hours. And still they choose to just sit back and continue funding something they know will not work." Rachel chewed her bottom lip with fervor.

"Men in suits are idiots." Raleigh's statement made Rachel let out a laugh.

"True." She agreed, nodding her head.

"What is all this laughter about?" Herc asked as he approached. He was followed by his son who looked like he'd rather punch the American pilot's lights out than sit next to him. Thankfully he didn't have to. Herc took a seat next to Raleigh which left the other Hansen to sit next to her.

"Talking about politics being idiots." Rachel told him, fighting her smile down.

"Oh tell me about it. Damn Government needs to get their heads outta their asses and do something about the Jaeger Program. We have four more months before they cut off our funding completely." Herc's voice went from carefree to a little strained, something that didn't slip past the young girl.

"Do we have a plan to destroy the Breach before then?" The girl pushed away her uneaten food and Chuck took it to feed to his dog.

"I know Stacker has been working long hours with Tendo and the boys down in K-Science Lab. I think they are forming a plan, but none of us have heard anything concrete as of yet." Herc said, his voice gruff as he thought about something. "Whatever it is... we need to act before we lose everything." His words seemed to sink into all of them because a tense silence fill the air around them.

The four of them broke silence by talking about features around the Shatterdome and the privileges they had.

"We used to be able to leave the Shatterdome, as long as one team stayed behind, but now with the Kaiju appearing more often we can't even do that." Chuck complained as he played with his dog.

"It was nice being able to leave and stretch our legs, but it is understandable why they want to keep us so close." Herc was about to add something to that statement but was cut short by the appearance of the Marshall. All of them sat a little straighter as the man cleared his throat.

"I need the two of you to come with me." He gave a crisp look to the two Australians before he turned on his heel and started to walk away. Herc and Chuck were up and following him before Rachel could even bat and eye.

"Odd." Raleigh mumbled as they vanished up the stairs. "Pentecost normally never comes to retrieve someone personally."

"He did for you." Rachel stated as she picked up her now empty plate. Becket nodded his head and a brief smile touched his features.

"That was a little different. I doubt anyone other than him would have been able to drag me back into the Jaeger Program. He knew it to. When he showed up to get me it almost seemed like he'd rehearsed what he was going to tell me. Everything I threw at him was shot down so quickly... bet that man wrote down a response to every scenario that could have played out that day." The male pilot followed Rachel as she stood up and dropped her plate into the cleaning bin.

"A good thing if you ask me. Seems like the world can use all the experienced pilots it has left." She followed Raleigh up the stairs and through the halls.

The girl wasn't sure what all there was to do in the Shatterdome except train, rest, and chat with other people. Training wasn't her first option and sleeping was out of the question so it by default that she'd stick to the other pilot for awhile. At least until her over excited brother showed up to spill useless information on her.

"Do you play chess?" Raleigh's question made Rachel furrow her brows downward.

"No I do not. I know how to play checkers. Why?" The girl noticed that they'd made it back to the room hallway. The male opened his door and beckoned for her to enter, which after a moment she did.

His room was neat and messy all at the same time. Clothes were hung up in the closet and the floor was clean, but the walls were cluttered with pieces of paper and pictures. Some of them had color while other's were black and white. A poster of two men standing side by side was hung near a mirror. Raleigh was easy to spot and the man beside him was so much like him it was scary. That must have been Yancy Becket, the older brother. The T.V. cameras didn't do either of the two any justice.

"Mako bought me this chess set after I settled in. There isn't much to do here and with limited funding the program can't afford to keep us entertained, but we can buy our own things as long as we keep them in our room." The male pulled out a chess board and in it were small pieces. "Thankfully it also has a set of checker pieces. Maybe later I'll teach you chess." He told her as he laid the game out across his desk.

Rachel kicked off her shoes, pulled up a chair, and sat opposite of him before helping him set up the board.

"Got any questions for me? Thinking maybe we can kill some time with a question game." He offered as he made the first move. Rachel hummed and moved her piece quickly.

"Do your scars ever bother you?" She asked as she watched him move again. Seeing an opening she jumped his piece and flicked it off the board.

"Well physically they used to be a bitch. Every time I would lift my arm and stretch my shoulder they would hurt, but now it only hurts if I spend too much time in the suit. Pentecost had some doctors give me some kind of ointment for it. After getting out of the suit, if they hurt, I apply some of it and it soothes the pain. They said it had something to do with the nerves in my skin." He took another move, making sure to keep out of Rachel's range. "When Yancy was ripped from the Conn-Pod I had to solo pilot the Jaeger back to shore, but when I did that the suit overloaded and shorted. I told you how it burned my skin, but the electricity messed with my nerves."

"And what about mental?" She asked as she scanned the board for an optimal move.

"Well there is some pain still attached to the memory. I don't think it will ever completely go away, but now that I've drifted with Mako I feel that I can move on. Yance wouldn't want me to kill myself by working on some stupid wall, he'd want me to continue fighting. Mako knows everything I've felt because of the drift. She knows the pain I went through, and she is helping me repair some of the damage done. Other than that the only other thing is that some chicks don't dig scars. Ruined my game for awhile." He let the corners of his mouth tug to a half smirk and Rachel shook her head.

"Some chicks dig scars." The girl moved her piece.

"Are you one of those chicks?" The question made Rachel want to hide her face. How did she not see that question coming. "No lying either." The girl could hear the smile in his tone which spared her having to look at him again.

"Yeah, I might like a few scars." She admitted as she watched the male move his piece.

"A few scars? Care to clarify?" He asked her as he kicked off his own shoes, finally allowing himself to get comfortable.

"Well I mean if you get your scar by doing something valiant or exciting then it has a good story behind it. A sort of meaning to it. However if you got drunk and fell down a flight of stairs and got some scars then that just shows how much of an idiot you are." She explained lightly as she jumped another one of his pieces. "You're not good at this game are you?" She questioned with a satisfied smile.

"Chess is more my playing field." He confessed as he tried to calculate a better move. "Do you have an scars?"

"I do." She admitted with a nod.

"Oh? Where and how did you get it?" Raleigh moved his piece, jumping two of her's in the process.

"Well you already know that me and my brother lived on the streets for awhile. There are these things called turf wars. Two gang fighting over a piece of 'territory' that was in the part of Hong Kong where me and my brother were. One night there is a fight that broke out the in middle of the street. It wasn't any of our business so we continued on, but one of the gang members pushed a woman and child into a busy street. Nick stopped the traffic so they wouldn't get hurt and he turned around and smarted off to the guy. He didn't like that too much. Next thing I know there are four of them jumping on my brother. Me being me I jumped in to protect him. We were winning too, until that same bastard broke his beer bottle and cut my back open. They ran off and I got carried to the hospital by the woman and her husband." She recalled the story slowly. Her eyes were glazed as she thought about how cold that night had been. "Now I have this white line running down the right side of my back. It never gave me problems, just discolored patch of skin."

The male shook his head and bit down on his lip. However Rachel kicked him from under the desk and told him not to worry about her past. He didn't seem like he wanted to drop it so easily, but he did anyways. They made a few more moves and talked some more. Their exchanging of questions gave them great insight into the other's life and how they acted. Soon the game was completely forgotten as they locked into pointless conversation.

"No way! You used to be a chubby!" Rachel's voice was in total disbelief as Raleigh nodded his head.

"Yep. When I was smaller I didn't really get out much, I was too into video games and gadgets." He confessed. "My brother was really athletic though. He was always trying to get me to play football or baseball. Those were his favorite games and after awhile of pestering me so much I gave in and played a few games. It was fun so I kept doing it and soon I moved from being this really chubby porker to a full blown athlete like him." He told her offhandedly.

The continued like that for most of the day. Apparently Raleigh liked bonfires, had a pet turtle named Fredrick at one point, and despised cigarettes. Rachel agreed with him on the last one. The smoke clung to everything and it was so hard to kill the habit once you formed it. The girl explained how she liked to sit on benches and watch people interact with each other.

"It is just so insightful, ya know. People walk on the streets talking to one another but not at the same time. Most of the time they talk to hear themselves or to blow off another person and they don't even seem to realize that they are doing it. On the other hand there are people that hardly talk because they have so much to say they are scared of chasing people off, so they hold back. I don't understand why people can't just say what they think and move on." Rachel was putting the pieces back into the board as Raleigh laced up his shoes.

"Maybe they are scared that if they say what they think the other person won't understand and run off." He captured her eyes in a gaze and she understood what he meant. Agreeing with him she handed him the board for him to put up as she laced up her own shoes.

It was dinnertime now and the two of them were starving.

"Who knew talking could make someone so hungry." She said with a half smile curled on her lips. Becket just laughed as he descended the stairs before her.

The Wei boys were playing a game of basketball in one corner of the Mess while the Russian pilots were sitting not to far away digging into their food. Sasha seemed to be speaking to her husband, but clearly he wasn't paying attention because she smacked him playfully over the back of his head to gain his interest. Rachel smiled as she watched the interaction. People always though that the Jaeger pilots were a strict group all the time, but clearly they were all family here.

Mako joined her and Raleigh as they picked up their plates and piled it with food. Of course because he was a guy Raleigh had to have a little bit of everything and it contrasted with Mako who carefully balanced her food choices. Rachel took a scoop of pasta and a piece of garlic bread. Snatching a cold water bottle as well she made her way over towards her table in the back. To her surprise Mako and Raleigh followed her and sat across from her.

"So what have you been up to all day Mako?" The male tried to kick up some conversation as he spooned a miniature mountain of noodles into his mouth.

"The Marshall wanted me to go over some figures in our budget today. We've been over looking quite a sum of money we had left, and now that we've found it we can use it to improve Cherno Alpha's armor." She stated fairly as she took ate a spoon full of noodles. "What about you? How has your day been?" Once the male had successfully swallowed his food he answered.

"Enlightening." Mako gave him a confused look so Rachel decided to cut in.

"We played a game of checkers today and while doing that we exchanged questions to pass the time." Mako nodded her head in understand.

"Did he tell you about how he once own a turtle named Fredrick?" Mako asked with a smile. Rachel nodded her head and smiled. "I saw it once in our drift, it was so cute." She commented before eating another spoonful of noodles.

"It was an awesome turtle." Raleigh told her before going back to eating his food.

Shaking her head Rachel picked and ate at her own food slowly. Mako took note of it, but said nothing about it. The girl was too insightful for her own age and knew instantly why the newest recruit was doing so. Even though she was making friends Rachel was no where near comfortable in the Shatterdome, and she wouldn't be for quite awhile. The change in environment was too much too fast. Thankfully Rachel stopped her picking when her brother showed up and plopped down next to her.

"Hello everyone." He greeted happily. He hugged his sister quickly before shoveling into his food. "This is so good." He said with a mouthful of food.

"Eat your food then talk." Rachel told him, poking at one of his sides. Nick jerked away from her playfully, but did as he was told. 

"So how was your day?" He asked her.

"Enlightening." She quoted Raleigh, which in turn made him smile. "How was your day with the engineering girl?" Nick's ears turned a bright pink at her question and he busied himself with eating so he wouldn't have to answer. "Oooooh. It went like that." Rachel teased him, drawing out her words.

"Oh shut up." He gripped at her. "She is nice."

"I didn't say she wasn't. I just asked how your day with her was." Rachel reminded him as she bit into her garlic bread. After a moment of silence Nick cleared his throat.

"It was nice. She let me step into Blue Tundra today. The Conn-Pod is a beauty Rachel and I think you'll love it. It is almost the same color as your hair." He told her, motioning towards the dyed part. "Seems like that Jaeger was almost made for us." His comment stirred something in Rachel, but she didn't allow it to show.

Recently she'd been thinking the same thing. What had compelled them to sneak into a Government facility? Why had they been the only two standing under Blue Tundra when Stacker found them? On top of that they were drift compatible! All the different variable lined up almost too perfectly and it bothered the younger sibling in a way. Still she said nothing because of the words the Marshall had shared with her. Soldiers fight because they can and have the will to protect. Rachel certainly did want to protect people.

Dinner went on and the four of them chatted away the time. Mako and Nick seemed to be stuck on the topic of whether Oreo cookies were better than Chocolate Chip cookies when Rachel nudged Raleigh under the table with her foot.

"Hmm?" He hummed as he tore his gaze away from the argument.

"How did we even get to this topic?" She asked him with a bit of laughter in her voice.

"I don't even know." He said slowly as he returned to the argument.

"I'm telling you that Chocolate Chip is more traditional than the Oreo. I'm not saying it isn't good, but there is just something so homey to a Chocolate Chip that beats the hell out of an Oreo. Right, Rachel?" Nick asked her sister, who in turn threw her hands up in a 'don't involve me' manner. Nick let out a frustrated sigh. "You're no help."

"Well I'm tired and going to bed. You two can keep going, but either way if you were to give me an Oreo or a Chocolate Chip I would devour both just as fast. A cookie is a frickin' cookie." Rachel stated as she threw her plate in a cleaning bin. "Goodnight." She told them as she started up the stairs.

She was just at the top when she felt a presence behind her. Turning her head she acknowledged Raleigh. The man was clearly getting annoyed with the pointless argument and wanted to get away just as much as the female he was walking beside. Together they made their way to the rooms in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable or awkward since they'd been talking most of the day. The silence was good and relaxing. The only words they exchanged was a 'good-night' before they vanished into their respective rooms.

Rachel got ready for bed but when she laid down she felt a sort of uneasy settle over her. What was wrong with her now? She turned a few times trying to get comfy but it didn't work. The girl then kicked off her covers thinking maybe she was too hot, but her cold limbs told otherwise and she covered herself again. Finally after a half hour of tossing and turning she was able to drift into sleep, but the uneasy feeling did not leave her.

_What is going on?_


	3. Otachi and Leatherback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The siblings fight their first Kaiju against the orders of Pentecost. Aleksis almost kills Rachel via hug and everyone walks away okay. (Maybe some injured pride and missing metal.) Herc admits/explains things and Raleigh scolds Rachel.

****

Normally Rachel would wake up to the sounds of traffic and people, sometimes she would get lucky and wake up to the sounds of the birds stirring in the trees as the morning approached, but this was not one of those times. Sirens blared around her as she was startled from her restless sleep. As soon as her vision cleared her feet were on the ground and she was moving to her closet to retrieve her shoes. She'd slept in her sweats and a white tank top so she had no problem throwing open her door and looking into the hallway.

People were running around shouting into communicators and typing furiously on tablets. Nick morphed by her side and grabbed her arm.

"Come on we need to get to Blue Tundra." He yelled at her over the sirens.

"What is going on?" Rachel asked as she ran behind him. He seemed to know where he was going as he sprinted though the halls. People side stepped to clear their way as they ran to the Jaeger hangers.

"Kaijus." Nick told her as he started to slow down. He entered an elevator door and as soon as Rachel was in it closed and started heading up.

"Wait Kaijus? As in more than one?" Rachel asked rubbing her eyes to rid it of sleep.

Nick nodded his head and didn't say anything. This was one of the few times Rachel had ever seen her older brother act mature and collected. And it actually calmed her inside. A part of her didn't want to get in the Jaeger because of Nick's nature. He was too playful, never alert, never mature or centered, but now that she was seeing him she thought that she was wrong to have thought that way about her brother. When he wanted to be mature and alert he was one of the sharpest men alive.

As the doors opened the siblings rushed into the Conn-Pod of Blue Tundra. The light blue surrounding them gave them a calm feeling as the technicians and such strapped them into their controls. The digital screen appeared before them and swirled a few times as the Jaeger warmed up.

"Almost sounds like she is purring." Rachel stated as she analyzed the data in front of them. **Otachi** and **Leatherback** were their targets and they both were level four Kaiju. "God these things are ugly."

"Pentecost wants us to hang back with Striker and Gypsy while Cherno and Crimson take on the beasts." Nick told her as the technicians finished on strapping him in.

As soon as they left the door sealed behind them. Rachel knew the time was drawing close as a voice entered the Conn-Pod.

"Preparing for the drop." Tendo told them, a metallic ring echoing off his voice. Then there was a small jerk to the right and the siblings felt the Conn-Pod drop from its holdings. Rachel's stomach felt like it was in her throat until they hit the body of Blue Tundra. There were a few more small jerks as the metal sunk into place and locked the Conn onto the body of the Jaeger.

Now another voice entered the Conn-Pod. The voice of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) that was Blue Tundra.

"Preparing Neutral Handshake."

Rachel lifted her right hand and balled it into a fist. Nick mirrored her while at the same time using his left hand to make a vertical line. Rachel copied him as he did so. The two of them were in unison.

"Three... Two... One..."

Rachel's fist collided with her hand as Nick's did. They felt the pull of the drift and Rachel saw memories fly past her eyes. Times on the ship, previous fights, long talks during cold nights, arguments, laughs, happiness, anger, _more_ fighting, Raleigh, the engineering girl, and then like that it was gone and the two were back in the Conn-Pod.

"Well that was..." Nick was starting to say something but Rachel silenced him with a glare.

"We'll talk after." She told him sternly. "Stay on your game."

"Handshake complete. Left and Right Hemispheres in unison." The AI cut off and the Conn was silent again.

"Alright boys and girls here is how this is going to play out." Pentecost was now the voice filling the Conn-Pod, but Rachel could tell he was talking to all the pilots. "Crimson and Cherno will be handling the Kaiju, the rest of you are to stand guard by the coast in case one of them breaks past them. Understood?" Rachel and Nick shouted their confirmation and the line clicked shut.

"Alright, lets do this." Rachel lifted her right foot and took a step, Nick mirroring the action on his side.

Then together they started walking towards the opening door. Gypsy was walking to their right and to the left of them was Striker. The three of them in step and looking like a force to be reckoned with.

"We are a force to be reckoned, Rachel." Nick told her confidently. He didn't seem cocky but he knew that they were good and with the assistance of Striker and Gypsy... nothing was going to get past them.

"That we are, brother." She told him as they stepped into the spray of the churning sea. Normally the Jaegers would have been air lifted to the Kaiju, but since the fight was coming to them there was no need.

Crimson and Cherno took off in front of them, walking waist deep into the sea and poised for battle. Rachel and Nick were between Gypsy and Striker as they formed a protective line in front of the coast. Everyone was ready and the silence was tense. Besides the noise of the sea the only other thing they could hear was the humming of the core that powered Blue Tundra. Nick hadn't said a word since they stepped into the salty waters.

"Movement 2 o' clock, Cherno." Tendo said over the communicator.

"We see nothing Control." Sasha's voice called back. Rachel tensed.

"It is there." Tendo told them.

Then they saw it, the movement that ripped out of the waves. A blue spotted spine of the Kaiju Otachi. Cherno Alpha slammed its hands together in a taunt, trying to lure the beast up from the waves. Least to say... it worked. Otachi jumped from the waves and attempted to sink its talons into Cherno's haul, but it never got close enough. The Jaeger smashed its fist into the side of the beast's face and it reeled back with a angry screech.

At the same time Leatherback made it's appearance behind Crimson Typhoon. It slammed into the Wei brothers and almost knocked them off their feet, but with the three of them combine it wasn't hard for them to get their balance back. The third arm extended out and they crouched into their famous "Thundercloud Formation". The blades started to whirl and the siblings watched in horrific fascination as the three of them combated the huge Kaiju.

Cherno Alpha, however, was starting to have some difficulty. Their opponent had struck them twice with it's whip-like tail. The barbed end of it was deadly and the couple were not built for the speed it took to evade those lashes. Then, to everyone's horror it stuck them a third time, in the Conn-Pod, and knocked them into the sea. Otachi wasted no time and was on them instantly. It screeched again as it tore at the Jaeger's armor. Cherno Alpha was strong, but if it didn't get back on it's feet soon the haul would be ripped to shreds and the core would be exposed.

Rachel was anxious and so was Nick, although who it was originating from couldn't be found.

"They need help." Herc's voice cut in over the communicator.

"Stay in your position Striker." That was Pentecost's voice.

"Stacker they need help." Now it was Raleigh, and he sounded pissed off.

"Stay your position." Pentecost wasn't letting up.

 _We've got to do something._ It was Nick, but it wasn't over the communicator. It was in her head.

Rachel looked over to him and gave him a meaningful look. _Follow my lead._ Even though it was in their heads' Nick knew when his sister had gone into 'I'm going to fuck shit up' mode.

The girl used her mind to control Blue Tundra. The chest part of their body opened, exposing the four missiles they had been equipped with. Using her eyes to zero in on the wretched beast she bared her teeth and let the weapon fly. When it hit Rachel felt herself let out a satisfied smile. The monster let out a painful cry, which in turn caused Leatherback to pause a moment. At the same time Cherno Alpha pushed the beast off, Crimson Typhoon used the distraction to sever Leatherback's head. Blue rained into the sea as the body crumpled into the water. Cherno gave a few hard punches to the remaining beast before pushing it back enough to shoot it's own missiles into the monster.

Otachi fell limp and sunk into the sea, which was now a bright blue color.

Rachel could see the color spreading but they didn't wait long until they were moving back to the Shatterdome. Cherno was by her side this time, almost as if an unspoken thanks was being given, and Nick couldn't have been more proud of his sister.

"You did good." He told her as they started powering down their Jaeger. "I wouldn't have thought of using the missiles." He confessed as he sprang free of his controls. They both were wearing their gear suits since neither of them wanted to waste time shedding them.

There was a pair of footsteps behind them and before she could turn around to see who it was Rachel found herself being engulfed in a hug. The beard scratching her face gave away the huge Russian man as he thanked her in his native tongue. Sasha had taken hold of Nick and was squeezing him with as much force as Aleksis was giving her.

"Breath. Need oxygen." Rachel patted the big man's forearm to show him that she wasn't joking. Aleksis let her go quickly and the young girl sucked in a lungful of air before giving the Russian a smile.

Together the four of them walked into the Mess Hall where the others were waiting for them. A roaring cheer and congratulations was sent all around. People were clapping the pilots on the back and praising them, but that was silenced as Pentecost showed before the siblings. Silence fell when people saw the look on the Marshall's face.

"What was that out there?" Stacker never seemed so silent yet loud at the same time. "I told you all to hold your positions and protect the coast, not to engage the Kaiju. You went against my orders."

Nick seemed to stiffen behind Rachel and the girl placed a hand on his shoulder. The last thing she wanted was for Nick to physically hit the Marshall, because Rachel knew he was already tumbling the guy in his head.

"Sir, with all due respect I'd like to say that you are wrong." Rachel stood to her full height as she stood right before him. Her green eyes held challenge and fire. "You told us to stay our position, and we did. Not a single footfall away or towards the battle was made. I saw a tactical opportunity and I took it. Had I not taken it Cherno Alpha might be in scraps right now." Rachel took a moment to let that information sink in. "You told me that you wouldn't let someone in a Jaeger unless you trusted them. So trust me. Trust us." She motioned to her and Nick.

The Marshall let the fire in his eyes dim considerably as he mulled over her words. He'd known she's made the right call out there, but orders were something meant to be followed. It was what protected people, protected the pilots, from chaos.

"And you said you weren't a soldier." Pentecost gave her a half smile before walking past her, up the stairs, and vanishing behind the swinging door.

Rachel watched him leave, but was drawn away from the door and into a throng of people by the Russian pair. That day was spent eating cold breakfast foods, blaring music, and playing basketball. Nick seemed to like playing with the Wei brothers, and for what it was worth they seemed to like him too. He evened the team and they could actually have a proper game.

After people finally left Rachel alone she slunk to her normal table. Herc showed up and sat beside her as Chuck and Raleigh entered the game.

"That was a good call sheila." He told her warmly as he watched his son make a hoop. There were cheers and boos before the ball was passed back into court.

"What was I to do? Sit there and watch them die?" The question wasn't much of a question and Herc knew that.

"You're going to make one hell of a pilot. You and your brother. I'm glad you showed up when you did. Had a feeling about you." He laid his hands on the table in front of him, not bothering to make eye contact with her since he was trained on the ball game. Nick had the ball and was trying to fend off two of the Wei's and Chuck.

"Is that why you didn't give me away when I was crouched in the bushes?" Herc let the end of his mouth twitch.

"Yes." His answer shocked her. The whole time he'd never admitted to having seen her, but she always had the feeling that indeed had seen her. "You had that look on your face. You were so scared, but it didn't look like you feared me. I know now why you were scared. You feared being caught and leaving your brother alone." Herc seemed to read her like an open book. "I understand why you cling to him, but you have to know that here, all the pilots are your family. If we can protect one another then we stand tall. Every time a Jaeger falls we lose people, parts of our family, and it hurts." He turned to look at her with warm eyes.

"Know that you are not alone out there. Raleigh has grown very possessive of you. When you activated Tundra him and Mako were ready in Gypsy to spring into action if you needed it." He continued, returning his gaze to the boys. Rachel followed his action and she honed in on the American Pilot. "When Pentecost tried to tear into you, I though Rals was gonna jump over Chuck and knock his lights out." Herc chuckled at the thought.

"What was with him? Pentecost I mean." She clarified.

"The man means well, he really does. Every team that falls, every Jaeger that gets destroyed, and every time a Kaiju makes landfall it comes to bite him. He finds himself responsible even though we all know it can't be helped. He thinks that by giving these orders he is protecting us, and for the most part they do, but there are always times in war where you have to break from the plan. He knows this too. I honestly think he was testing you more than he was scolding you." Herc explained all of this to her slowly, so that she would understand where he was coming from.

"I see, I didn't know that he carried so much weight on his shoulders." Rachel felt sorry for the Marshall but Herc told her not to worry about it.

"I need to talk Max on a walk." He told her as he got to his feet. His pit was by his heels pacing around. "Looks like the game has ended." He noted as the boys seemed to be wrapping up. Nick passed the ball to one of the brothers, Hu Wei, if Rachel was correct. They shared a few words and then the boys were off. Chuck followed his father, Nick ran off to go talk to the engineering girl, and Raleigh was making his way to her.

"You look distracted." He noted as he stood in front of her. His arms crossed his chest. "What is on your mind?"

"Just thinking about Nick and a few other things. Me and him were suppose to talk about some things we learned of each other in the Drift, but it seems he's been sidetracked again." Rachel wasn't telling a complete lie. She had wanted to talk to her brother, but it wasn't the main topic that was swimming in the front of her mind. However she wasn't going to tell Becket that!

"Well, just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done today." He smiled down at her and Rachel wanted to groan.

"You don't know how many times I've heard that today." She laid her head down on her forearms. Raleigh chuckled as he took a seat.

"Well it is only the truth." He stared at her for a long moment before his face fell a tab bit. "Are you ok?"

"I didn't sleep well last night, and waking up to a Kaiju attack didn't help anything." She confessed to him, closing her eyes for a few moments. She was tired and the older pilot could see that.

"Why didn't you sleep well?" He now had a touch of worry laced in his inquiry.

"Not sure, sometimes I just don't get rest. Haven't figured it out, but it doesn't matter." Rachel shrugged her shoulders.

"It is a big deal Rachel. What happens when you go into battle not properly rested? You could get hurt, or Nick could get hurt. Hell, you could be killed. Don't brush something off just because it seems like it doesn't matter." He warned her. There was a steel behind his voice that almost mirrored her's.

"Gosh you sound like me when I'm scolding my brother. So weird." She mumbled with a tired smile.

"I'm serious Rachel." Raleigh leaned forward. "I don't want to see anything bad happen to you." He stayed like that for a long moment, leaned close to the female pilot, waiting for her response.

"I know you are." She laid one of her hands on top of his and gave a gentle squeeze. "I promise if it happens again I'll go see the doctors." She told him reassuringly. Only then did he seem to ease off. Rachel dragged her hand away after some moments later.

A few minutes passed and Mako showed up, beckoning them to follow her.

Rachel stood and walked side by side with Raleigh through the halls. They didn't notice the way they brushed shoulders, or the way Rachel seemed to lean on the male pilot at times, but Mako saw. And the co-pilot couldn't help but smile mentally.

"Where are we going Mako?" Raleigh asked after a short time of them walking in silence. He didn't comment on the fact that Rachel was leaning on him as they walked. The poor girl was drained from her first fight and lack of proper sleep.

"K-Science Lab. Dr. Newt said it was important. All pilots are being called for an urgent meeting." She informed them.

Rachel stiffened at the sound of that.

_Now what?_


End file.
